Employers take note that the H-1B lottery for fiscal year (FY) 2025 will take place in just a few weeks. The H-1B is a work-based visa that allows foreign nationals to work for a U.S. employer in a position that requires a bachelor’s degree or above. There are only 65,000 available each year, so registrations are submitted into a lottery
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Department of Labor Proposes New Rule to Change Independent Contractor Classification…Again
Published in the New Hampshire Business Review (10/20/22)
In January 2021, during the final days of the Trump Administration, the Department of Labor issued a new rule regarding the classification of employees and independent contractors for purposes of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. This rule, viewed by many as being more “employer friendly” than previous DOL policies, applies an…
What To Do if an OSHA Violation Arrives
I recently wrote an article for New Hampshire Business Review on “What To Do if an OSHA Violation Arrives.”
Accidents happen. It can happen to even the most safety-minded employers. An employee falls from a ladder and breaks a bone. A worker is injured on a piece of machinery. Someone becomes ill after inhaling chemical fumes. Any of these situations,…
Massachusetts Emergency Paid Sick Leave Will End March 15, 2022
The Massachusetts law providing up to forty hours of paid sick leave to employees for COVID-related absences will expire on March 15, 2022 according to a notice issued by Executive Office for Administration and Finance on Monday. The law, which was enacted in May 2021, was meant to be effective until April 1, 2022, or the exhaustion of a fund…
OSHA Withdraws Vaccine-or-Test Emergency Temporary Standard
On January 25, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) formally withdrew its Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) on vaccinations, testing, and face coverings for large employers. This decision follows the Supreme Court’s January 13 order blocking enforcement of the ETS. While the Supreme Court’s action technically only stayed enforcement of the ETS pending further proceedings in the lower courts, the…
EEOC Updates Guidance To Address Whether COVID-19 Is a Disability
On December 14, 2021, the EEOC updated its guidance entitled What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws to include a section on how the definition of disability applies to COVID-19. The section includes helpful Q and A addressing when COVID-19 becomes an actual disability.…
Closing Out Another Year and Looking Forward to 2022!
Another year, another list. I doubt anyone expected at the end of 2020 to still be talking about social distancing, mask wearing, and virtual holiday gatherings. Yet, here we are. In preparing to write this post, I thought about what we have written in the past about making resolutions, plans for new initiatives, and reinvigorating compliance efforts. This year, my…
The Challenges of Vaccine Mandates
President Joe Biden announced on September 9, 2021 a new rule requiring employers with at least 100 employees to mandate that their workers be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing. The president also signed orders indicating that most federal employees and federal contractors, as well as most health care workers across the country, must be vaccinated. Previously some private…
Lessons Learned from the Latest NFL Scandal: Does the Downfall of Jon Gruden Teach Us Anything New?
Again, one of the mighty has fallen. Super Bowl winner, ESPN commentator, and the highest paid coach in the NFL follows the path of Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Andrew Cuomo and so many others in losing his job, his reputation, and probably his career due to abhorrent behavior which remained under wraps for years. The downfall came after the Wall…
Biden Administration Marks ADA Anniversary by Releasing Long COVID Disability Guidance
In honor of the 31st anniversary of the enactment of the Americans With Disabilities Act (“ADA”) on July 26, the Biden Administration has announced the release of a package of guidance and resources relating to applicability of disability-related laws and regulations to people with long COVID, sometimes referred to as “COVID Long-Haulers.”…